What are you grateful for?
Ideally, we’d all show our gratitude to everyone who deserves it, all the time. For me, life gets in the way of that, but November is a perfect time to stop and show some gratitude.
Firstly, I’m grateful for my family. My amazing wife, Pamela Lewy – my partner in crime in this joyous life we have created for ourselves in my favorite neighborhood of my favorite borough of the best city in the world – Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY. Typically speaking, living in this neighborhood means having kids, pets, or owning a Subaru. We’ve got two of those boxes checked, and we’d have all 3 if our building let us own a dog! =)
Our kids, now 8 and 5, keep us busy, laughing, and entertained for sure. One of the myriad nuggets of parenting I’ve heard throughout the years is that ages 5-15 are the golden years of parenting and I see it. We’re beyond diapers, and we’ve got 2 boys expressing their need for independence every day. Every time they add something to their repertoire, it’s one less thing their parents have to be 100% responsible for. More importantly, they are just more FUN. We get to play board games with them all the time, reliving classics like Monopoly, (Simpsons version) Clue, Stratego, Uno, and the like, and learning newer games like Rat-a-tat-cat, Dungeon Mayhem, and Exploding Kittens.
Secondly, I’m grateful for my team – Bao, Jon, Reed, Terry, Jo, Andrew, and Alison. When I started Murph Consulting in 2007, I certainly wasn’t thinking about hiring employees. Fast forward to now, and we are a team of 8 amazing people who are handling all the tech and cybersecurity needs of our clients. From smaller issues like onboarding new employees to larger issues like email and data migrations and everything in between, my team tackles these concerns with speed, know-how, and most importantly, respect toward our clients.
Speaking of, I’m also grateful to our clients. We are lucky enough to have been the Technology Success Partner (TSP) for almost 600 clients now. Listing out all 600 would take me a year, but suffice it to say, we are SO grateful for the trust that our clients put in us to solve their problems- some of whom have done so for 17 years now! We don’t take that lightly. We know that our biggest differentiator is being the Help Desk with a Heart, providing human-to-human support to our clients, and knowing we are expected to solve tech issues as quickly as possible so our clients can get back to their jobs.
Lastly, I’m thankful for my networks. I have two groups that I think of as family. Since 2013, I’ve been in BNI 53, Worth Waking Up For. If you know me, you know I can talk about BNI 53 forever. That’s because of how great it’s been for my company and myself personally. Over 300 of our clients were referred to us in some way, shape, or form from the connections that started with this group. It’s the reason we grew to a team of 8. Personally, it’s made me a much better public speaker and networker which has in turn made me more comfortable in my role as the head of sales and business development. Equally important to me is having access to some of the best professionals at their craft. Anand A. Kapasi has been my small business lawyer since 2013, Sanford Miller has been my CPA since 2018, and William Clanton, CPA my virtual CFO since 2022, just to name a few. I believe wholeheartedly you cannot run a business without help, and I am so grateful to have these pros on my side.
My second big network is Wall Street Dead aHead Networking LLC®. This is a fun-loving group led by Mama Bear herself, Deborah Solomon. The group shares a common love of the Grateful Dead and all its ensuing offshoots. Since joining in 2023, I’ve listened to and learned more about the Grateful Dead than ever before and it’s been a fun ride. Everyone I’ve met in the group has been super welcoming and I’ve been able to give and get business from this amazing group as well.
What are YOU grateful for?
This month, Murph Consulting turned 18. I cranked up Alice Cooper's "I'm 18" and Skid Row's "18 and Life" to get the vibes going. My company is now old enough to vote, get a tattoo, and get married, all without parental consent. Watch out, world!
In all seriousness, the passing of another year of entrepreneurship and running a successful business always feels like a good time to reflect. Since we started in 2007, we've assisted nearly 600 small businesses and residential clients. Businesses in every industry, ranging in size from the solopreneur to 100 employees. There’s no company we’ll say “you’re too small for us to help”, and that gives me great joy. Small businesses need tech and CyberSecurity support, and we’ve got their backs.
Speaking of, it's October again, and you all know what that means, right? The Mets have failed us, and the Islanders, Jets, and Rangers are about to. It's also Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Every small business should be implementing some basic security measures by now. It's easier and more affordable than you think it is, and definitely cheaper than dealing with the fallout of something drastically bad happening to your business.
How's your password game? Do you use strong passwords on all the sites you visit, or are they all slight modifications of one word, like your kids or pets' names or birth dates?
If it's the latter, let's chat. You should be using a password manager. They are easy to use, create complex passwords for you that you no longer need to remember, and keep them all safe for you. I can't remember the last time I had to click on the "forgot your password" link for any site, and I love that for me.
A password manager is just one of the seven software we feel EVERY small business should have in place to help keep them protected in 2025. We’ve packaged these up together neatly and made them affordable for the small businesses we will always support. If you’d like to learn more, please click the “Contact Murph” button below to send me an email.